Doomed Confessionary: Aaron Tolu (The Blacktones)
Photo by Valeria Spiga
Italian sludge metal band The Blacktones is gearing up to release their new album »The Longest Year« on September 6th, 2024 via Sleaszy Rider Records. They just dropped the first single »The Other Face Of Nothing«.
The Blacktones was born as an instrumental band in 2011 in Sardinia, Italy, by Sergio Boi and Gianni Farci. The current line-up consists of Paolo Mulas on guitar, Gianni Farci on bass, Aaron Tolu on vocals, Alessandro Castellano on drums and Sergio Boi on guitar.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Yeah, sure! We’re The Blacktones, from Sardinia. We started as an instrumental three piece in 2011, but between our releases we added vocals and a guitar, slowly changing our sound from stoner to sludge metal.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Our biggest challenge is one that we have in common with many bands in our scene in Sardinia: to play outside our island and reach more fans.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We are very happy that we’re still able to play the music we like, our new record is almost published and we just can’t wait to receive feedback about it!
What was your biggest regret?
Ehehehe…no regrets here!
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Our last supporting gig for Nick Olivieri, was one of the big first concerts after the pandemic and was good to be back!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The Knocked Loose single featuring Poppy, We love it!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
The last judas priest record is still on board, then Into The Realm (Castle Rat), From Hell I Rise (Kerry King), Alma (Habitants) and Old Hands (Swaamp).
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Don’t be a jerk. It’s a very solid advice!
What are your guilty pleasures?
Ahahah I don’t know if it fits, but staying on couch relaxing and avoiding as much as possible any cleaning duty at home (cleaning dishes, doing laundry and so on) and reach a new week without staring back a the pile of shame of things to do that I’m leaving behind.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Sardinia?
The Sardinian metal/punk scene is florid and awesome! It’s full of cool bands trying their best every day. Search them and check them out!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’ll do some concerts around the island this summer, but we’re planning to reach Italy’s venues after the release of our new album this fall. Stay tuned!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
As I said, playing live to promote our record as much as possible
How can people best support your band?
You know, every kind of support is appreciated, but if you want to help us directly, you can have a look to our Bandcamp.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We hope you like our music, we just can’t wait for our record »The Longest Year« to be out. More news coming soon! Keep listening to music, going to gigs and having fun!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well